Merry-go-round



March 24,1931.

-c. H ADAMs' MERRY-GO-ROUND Filed Sept. 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 6024/59 64 flafl/va ATTORNEY device Patented Mar. 24, 1931 CORLIES H. ADAMS, or rrsivro BEACH, CALIFORNIA MEBRY-GO-ROUND Application'iiled Septe1nber18, 1928. Serial 61 396,645..

The subject matter of this application relates to amusement devices,-and particularly to s0-called inerry-go-r'ounds. V

The object of the invention is the provision of a merry-'go-round which is propelled by the action of the wind and is adapted to carry passengers in its rotation around a central shaft, means being provided for controlling the speed rotation of the merry-go-round.

'10 Another object of the invention isthe provision of a merry-go-round in which a plurality of vessels, resembling sailing boats,

are disposed equidistant from a central shaft,

upon which they are rotatably supported, the

'15 action of the wind upon said sails causing the rotation of the merry-go round, means being provided for controlling the speed of rotation. thereof. 1

With-the foregoing and other objects 111 0 view, my invention resides in the'combination and arrangement of parts and in the'details of construction,hereinafter described andclaimed, itbeing understood that changes in the precise embodiment of thei-nventi'on, hereinafter disclosed, may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings :1 v Figurel is a plan "View of the amusement Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of one of the carsof the merry-go-round,- showing the ;'attachment ofa frame andthe supporting wire thereto Figure" 3 is a side elevation, the lower part thereof being shown in section so as to show the means for securing the merry-go-round into the ground;

Figure 4 is a sectionaldetail view of the supporting bearing of the merry-go-round; and r I t Figure 5 is the handbrake lever and the holding means therefor.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts thruout, my invention s carried out by providing a gin pole, denoted bythe numeral 6, whlch is securely held in aconcrete block 7, which latter is embedded into the ground 8. ,The gin pole 6 extends substan-' tially vertically abovethe ground. On the top of the pole 6 is formed a substantially semi-spherical socket 9,inwhich is rotatabl'y-supported a ball 1-1 of a conical '55 supporting member 12. Adjacent to the lower edge ofthe conical supporting member12 are'secured, in the usu l manner, stay wires 18, corresponding in number to the number of vessels to be employed inconnection with no the particular "merry-go-round. Although any number of such vessels may be used, for the purposes ofillustr'atioml show a merrygo-round provided with fourcarriers or vessels, each denoted in its entirety by the nu- It's meral 14. The body 16 of the'vessels 14 is made in the form of asailingboat and is provided with seats 17 on'which' the passengers may be accommodated. The lower end ofthe stay wire .13 is provided with branches 18 '70 'so formed astoengage the opposite ends of the body 16. It is to be understood that there-may be two Wires employed for supporting'each vessel :14. Upon the body 16 of each sailing vessel 14 are'dispos'ed sails 19, 75 secured on a ma's't" and adapted tobe lowered, hoistechand turned in: the manner customary in the case of sailing vessels or boats; V

- In ordertomaintainthe V'e'ssels14 in equidistant positions, spaced from the gin 30 pole {6, I provide aframe, denoted itsen tirety .bythenumeral 21f The frame comprises bent pipes'22. -The branches of'ea'ch bent pipe 22 are, diverging from the'bend thereof andthe bend thereof issecured to 35 the bottom of the, vessel body '16. by means of brackets 23. The free ends ofea'ch bent pipe-22 are weldedor otherwise ffiXedly' seeuredto a circularframe member 24, which latter is provided with radial members 26, on

ary manner, the sails 19 turn around their .100 v masts in such a way as to be disposed in a most advantageous position to be efliciently acted upon by the force of the wind.

In order to regulate the speed of the merrygo-round and also to enable the operator to stop the merry-go-round at will, I provide a brake shoe 81 conforming to a section ofthe outside periphery of the brake drum 2'? and having a brake rod 82 extending therefrom. The brake rod 82 is guided by a bearing 88 which is supported in the concrete block 7 in the manner clearly shown in Figure 8. To move the brake rod 82 and the brake shoe 81 toward and away from the brake drum 27, the brake rod 82 is pivotally secured to a brake hand lever, denoted in its entirety by the numeral 84. Said hand lever is pivoted at 85 in operative relation to a quadrant ratchet 86, and it is held in any desired position by the engagement of the pawl 87 with the quadrant 86. The movement of the pawl 87 is effected by means of a pawl-actuating rod 88 and a lever 89 against or by the action of a torsion. spring 41 in the usual manner.

Now thespeed of the merry-go-round may be regulated by pressing the shoe 81 against the brake drum 27, thereby creating the friction for resisting the rotation of the merry go-round, but the speed of the rotation may also be regulated by lowering the sails from a number of vessels and by hoisting the sails on every second or every third vessel on the merry-go-round in accordance with the velocity of the wind and the'total number of vessels used.

It will be recognized that an eficient and safe amusement device, or merry-go-round, is provided, in which the moving parts are supported on the top of a gin pole by a ball and socket joint and being guided by a brake drum at the lower end thereof, so that the frictional resistance to the rotation of the device is greatly diminished. It will also be recognized that the speed of rotation and the starting and stopping of the device may be readily and positively accomplished. The device combines facility of operationand adjustment with a ruggedness of construction and minimum frictional resistance, especialtio'n brake for coacting with the hub so as to regulate the speed of rotation of the frame.

2. In an amusement device, a gin pole fixedly supported on the ground; a semi-spherical socket formed in the top of the pole; a ball rotatably supported in said socket; a conical member secured to the ball; a horizontal frame; stay wires suspending said frame from said conical member; a drum forming the hub of the frame and being rotatably positioned on said pole; passenger compartments on said frame, said com artments being shaped to simulate sailing boats; sails on the compartments so that the action of the wind on said sails imparts rotary motion to said frame; a brake element in coacting relation with said drum; and means for so actuating said brake element as to regulate the speedof rotation of said device by the friction between said drum and said element.

8. A merry-go-round comprising a gin pole having a socket formed in its upper end, a rotatable supporting member for rotation within the socket, .asupportingv ring surrounding the gin pole intermediate its ends, a drum rotatable around the gin pole, bracing members intermediate the supporting ring and the drum, supporting cables at tached at one of their ends to the rotatable member within the socket and boats attached at their respective ends to the other ends of the supporting cables and supporting brackets supported by the supporting ring, said brackets being rigidly secured to the bottoms of the boats.

4. A merry-go-round comprising a gin pole having a socket formed in itsupper end, a

rotatable supporting member for rotation within the socket, .a supporting ring surrounding the gin pole intermediate its ends, a drum rotatable around the gin pole, bracing members intermediate the supporting.,.

ring and the drum, supporting cables at tached at one of their ends to the rotatable member within the socket and boats attached at their respective ends to the other ends of the supporting cables, supporting brackets supported by the supporting ring, said brackets being rigidly secured to the bottoms of the boats and a brake for contacting with the drum for controlling the-rotation thereof.

In testimony CORLIES H. ADAMS.

whereof I aflix my signature. 8 

